PPP members being forced to switch loyalties, says Sherry Rehman

Sherry Rehman, the leader of the opposition in the Senate, said PPP members are being forced to switch loyalties.

“Our party’s posters are being taken down but certain other parties are being treated as favourites,” Rehman told the media on Thursday. “Our caravan was stopped in Uch Sharif. The PPP does not want the elections to be delayed.”

According to her, the party has informed the election regulatory body about the issues they are facing. She said that security threats have increased in the aftermath of the blast at the ANP rally on Tuesday. “The biggest problem is that of a lack of security,” she said.

She said that the PPP asked the Election Commission of Pakistan about the mechanism for allowing banned outfits and people in the Fourth Schedule to contest the election. “Many other candidates, including our party members, have been disqualified,” she said. “This includes even those who have been contesting elections for decades. The [ECP] said that it is the government’s responsibility to look into these things.”

Rehman also spoke about the trend of using indecent language against rival candidates in election ads. “Rivals are being named in election ads,” she said. “We have always abstained from such practices. It should be a moderate approach. Indecent language should not be used. There should be a civilised norm of discourse.”

She said that the ECP has prepared a separate code of conduct for political parties, media, security forces and election observers.